Page 109 of Forty, Flirty & Framed

After a second, Karina takes a step forward.“Yes," she says simply."To all of it.I owe you that much."

"You owe me a lot more than that," I snap."You've potentially tanked a two-point-four billion dollar acquisition and made me look like a fool in front of the entire tech industry.Again."

My phone buzzes with yet another notification.

I glance down to see a text from Connor.

You need damage control NOW.#KiltedHeartbreak just passed a million tweets.Relationship experts likely getting ready to analyze your "body language" on morning shows in five hours.Call me.

I silence the phone, pressing the button hard.

"I never meant for any of this to happen," Karina says, taking yet another step closer."I tried to tell you today, before the party?—"

"But you didn't, did you?You've had days, Karina.Weeks.Every second you came into this office was another opportunity to come clean."

"I was afraid," she admits, her voice small but steady."I needed this job.My mother's medical bills?—"

"Don't."I hold up a hand."Don't use your family as an excuse for lying to me.You had options."

"Did I?"Her eyes flash suddenly."Do you have any idea what it's like to be a forty-one-year-old woman trying to break into a male-dominated industry without the right pedigree?Without the right connections?Without the right background?"

"I built this company from nothing after my family lost everything.Don't lecture me about privilege."

"You built it from nothing with a name that opened doors," she fires back."With a British boarding school education.With friends in high places.When Abernathy Corp was struggling, you had Connor and Grayson's support.I had no one."

Her words hit uncomfortably close to home.

It's true that even at my lowest, certain doors remained open to me simply because of who I was.What my family name had been.

"That doesn't justify fraud," I say, but some of the heat has left my voice.

"No, it doesn't," she agrees unexpectedly."What I did was wrong.But it wasn't malicious.I didn't set out to hurt anyone, least of all you."

The sincerity in her voice makes this harder, not easier.

If she were simply duplicitous—a corporate saboteur or gold-digger—I could dismiss her entirely.

But the complex truth of her motivations makes the betrayal messier, more painful.

"What happens between us affects the company," I say finally."You understand that, right?This isn't just personal."

"Isn't it?"she challenges softly."Because it feels pretty personal from where I'm standing."

My phone vibrates again—this time with a call from Luke.

I answer on speaker, needing the interruption.

"Not a good time," I growl.

"Too bad," Luke replies crisply."You've officially hit crisis level.#KiltedHeartbreak has spawned sister hashtags including #CasanovaConfrontation and #KiltedKatastrophe.I heard CNN's gearing up to run a segment called 'When Viral Fame Turns to Shame.'"

I close my eyes briefly."This can't be happening."

"Oh, it's happening…Also, your grandmother's on the warpath.She's called me three times demanding your location."

"Tell her I'm fine."

"I'm a cybersecurity expert, not a suicide hotline.Call your grandmother."